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By Scott Schwartz and Nolan Vallier
Collection Overview
Title: Gabriel Magyar Papers, 1953-2010
ID: 12/5/23
Primary Creator: Magyar, Gabriel (1914-2011)
Extent: 1.1 cubic feet. More info below.
Arrangement: Materials are arranged in two series: Series 1) Personal Papers and Series 2) Digital Papers. Both series are arranged alphabetically by subject.
Date Acquired: 05/20/2011. More info below under Accruals.
Subjects: Cello Music, Faculty, Faculty Papers, Hungary, Instrumental music, Kodály, Zoltán, 1882-1967, Music - Instruction and study - Hungary, Music teachers, Painting, Quartets, violin (2), viola, cello, Stringed Instruments
Formats/Genres: Audio-Visual Material, Papers, Photographs
Languages: English, Hungarian
Scope and Contents of the Materials
Consists of correspondence, publications, biographical sketches, funeral and memorial documents, awards, photographs, and negatives, documenting the career of Gabriel Magyar, who served as professor of cello at the University of Illinois (1972-1980) and cellist with the Hungarian String Quartet (1958-1972).
Biographical Note
Gabriel Magyar (December 5, 1914- June 8, 2011) was a world renowned cellist and Professor of Cello and Chamber Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1972-1980. Born in Budapest under the name Gabor Magyar, he studied at the Franz Liszt Royal School of Music, working with Zoltán Kodály, Leo Weiner, Antal Frisch, and Jeno Kerpely. Before the outbreak of WWII, Magyar gave the Hungarian priemere of Darius Milhaud's Cello Concerto. Magyar's career was interrupted when he was detained at a concentration camp during WWII.
After he was released in 1941, Magyar emigrated to Venezuela. In 1949, he moved to the United States, where he accepted a position at the State University of Oklahoma from 1951 to 1956. In 1956, Magyar became a member of the world famous Hungarian String Quartet, replacing Vilmos Palotai as cellist in the group. The Hungarian String Quartet toured internationally, performing and recording music by composers such as Béla Bartók. After the Quartet disbanded in 1972, Magyar joined the faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he inspired his colleagues and students well after his retirement.
Gabriel Magyar was also a talented artist, and his drawings were exhibited in the Urbana-Champaign area during the last ten years of his life. Magyar was a highly regarded musician, and he received numerous awards for his work as a cellist during his lifetime, including the Bartók Béla-Pásztory Ditta Award and the Grand Pris du Disque in Paris. Magyar retired from the University of Illinois in 1980, but gave performances until 1990. Magyar died in Urbana, Illinois on June 8, 2011.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository:
The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
Accruals:
Two paintings by Gabriel Magyar donated on Sept. 20, 2018 by Patricia Knowles.
Alternate Extent Statement:
.283 gigabytes
Acquisition Source:
Barbara S. Hedlund
Acquisition Method:
Gift
Related Materials:
See also record series 35/3/68 and 35/3/81.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Personal Papers, 1928-2011],
[
Series 2: Digital Papers, 2002-2011],
[All]
- Series 1: Personal Papers, 1928-2011
- Consists of obituary, funeral program, photographs, awards, publications, and drawings, documenting the life of Gabriel Magyar. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject. Of note are materials received by Magyar from Béla Bartók.
- Box 1
- Folder 1: Bartók Béla-Pásztori Ditta Prize, March 25, 1987
- Folder 2: CD1 Magyar Files
- Folder 3: "Chevalier du Violoncelle" Honor, October 1, 2000
- Folder 4: Copy of Music Corrections Sent to the Hungarian String Quartet by Béla Bartók, undated
- Folder 5: Correspondence with Dr. Yu Wang, 2001-03
- Folder 6: Mass Program and Music for Magyar's Funeral, June 15, 2011
- Folder 7: Obiturary and Memorial Tribute for Magyar, June, 2011
- Folder 8: Personal Remembrance of Magyar and Obituary, 2010-11
- Folder 9: Photographs-Album, ca. 1960-70
- Folder 10: Photographs of Magyar with his Artwork, ca. 2003
- Folder 11: Photographs and Negatives, ca. 2003
- Box 2
- Folder 1: Plaque for Gabriel Magyar as the Cellist of the Hungarian String Quartet, undated
- Folder 2: Publications, 1953,1956, 1973, 1980
- Item 1: "Attention, Cellists! What's Your Angle?" American String Teacher, ca. May, 1953
- Item 2: "Cello Vibrato," Music Educator's Journal, ca. March 1956
- Item 3: "Some Problems in String Playing," The Instrumentalist, May 1973
- Item 4: Who's Who In America 41st Edition, 1980-81
- Folder 3: Traveling with Gabriel and Julie Magyar and the Hungarian String Quartet, 2011
- Box 3
- Item 1: Painting by Gabriel Magyar, 1928
- Done at age 14.
- Item 2: Drawing by Gabriel Magyar, undated
- Pencil and charcoal.
- Series 2: Digital Papers, 2002-2011
- Consists of digital surrogates of photographs, email correspondence, funeral presentation, and born-digital writings by Gabriel Magyar. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject. Of note are photographs of the Hungarian String Quartet with Zoltán Kodály and Pablo Casals.
- Digital Folder 1: Awards, 2011
- Digital Folder 2: Biographical Information, 2002-2011
- Digital Folder 3: Bow and Cello Sale, 2002-2006
- Digital Folder 4: Email and Correspondence, 2006-2011
- Digital Folder 5: Funeral Service, 2011
- Digital Folder 5A: Magyar Sound Files for PPT, 2011
- Digital Folder 5B: Power Point, 2011
- Digital Folder 6: Gabriel's Writing, 2011
- Digital Folder 7: Interview and Video Files, 2009

- Digital Folder 8: Performances, 2011
- Digital Folder 8A: Peace Concert Last Performance, 1990
- Digital Folder 9: Photos, ca. 1940-2011
- Digital Folder 9A: 95th Birthday, 2009-2010
- Digital Folder 9B: Cheryll Melott VC Personal Photos, ca. 1972-2010
- Digital Folder 9C: Family Photos, ca. 1940-2004

- Digital Folder 9D: Pat Knowles and Barbara Hedlund Visit, February 23, 2009
- Digital Folder 9E: Frances Reedy Photos, 2011
- Digital Folder 9F: Gabriel's Art Works, 2011
- Digital Folder 9G: Hungarian String Quartet Photos, ca. 1962-1973

- Digital Folder 9H: Julie & Gabriel, ca. 1980-1997
- Digital Folder 9I: Knowell Photos of Gabriels Birthday at Clark Lindsay Village, December 5, 2010
- Digital Folder 9J: PR Photos, ca. 1960

- Digital Folder 9K: Recording Covers, ca. 1960-1990
- Digital Folder 9L: Scrapbook, ca. 1970

Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Personal Papers, 1928-2011],
[
Series 2: Digital Papers, 2002-2011],
[All]